Ins and Outs of Competition: the Introduction of Ranking in Martial Arts

This is an assignment from area studies, which is a lecture series on different aspects of Japanese culture. This is my response to our lecture on Japanese martial arts.

The martial art is one that has been around for centuries, originating as a code that all warriors lived by. Today, martial arts are still practiced worldwide for self-defense and for sport. Yet the martial arts have changed dramatically between the time of their formation and today, in large part due to a single incident that happened right here in Japan. To highlight one of the ways that the martial arts have evolved, Tony, our instructor for the day, performed a zunshin (awareness) kata (memorized set of movements). All that could be heard was his labored, forced breathing as he attempted to demonstrate how the now competitive nature of martial arts has sometimes pushed its students past the point of being healthy towards potentially lifelong bodily damage. Tony explained that because zunshin kata are judged competitively on who can perform theirs the sharpest and strongest, competitors will sometimes squeeze their bodies so tightly that they will urinate blood after the competitions because of the pressure put onto their kidneys. Through his demonstration, Tony had highlighted one of the main differences between the original form of martial art and its current state.

With the Westernization of Japan in 1867 following the reinstatement of the emperor, the practice of the martial arts, which translates from the original kanji (Japanese characters) as “the contemplation of ten generations of knowledge,” became something much more externally competitive. Before this time, there was no need for the system of rankings and belts to exist, because martial arts were about bettering oneself through knowledge and skill both within and outside of combatant arts. Though there were sometimes external forces, the practice of martial arts before 1867 was largely self-driven. The competitive aspect comes from the Western world in which merit is earned through competition against others whereas the original art was concerned with improving oneself physically, mentally, and spiritually without the external competition. For the warriors in Japan who were practicing the martial arts which have grown into nine modern types: karate, judo, aikido, jujitsu, kendo, kyudo, sumo, shorinji kempo, nagineta, and jukeudo, mental and spiritual training was every bit as important as physical training, because to the warriors, all three were one and the same.

There are two main aspects to any martial art, the external and the internal. The external consists of sparring (fighting another opponent), kata (memorized set of movements), and waza (application and technique). The internal focuses on meditation, precepts, breathing, channeling energy, and several forms of concentration. Whereas at one point the two were equally important, the introduction of the ranking system has shifted the focus in many dojo, or schools, more towards the external aspect. For the Japanese before the Meiji Period, which is when the ranking and belt system came into existence, those involved in martial arts had a series of other arts in which they were to be instructed. The mandatory arts included Chinese classics, various religions and literatures, calligraphy, etiquette, classical music, mathematics, medicine, astronomy, horsemanship, and swimming on top of whatever combatant arts the bujutsu, or soldiers, were studying. They also were encouraged to study tea ceremony, poetry, impromptu versification, and hunting, though it was not required. This well-rounded course of study has waned since the introduction of the ranking system.

This area studies lecture in martial arts was able to show the evolution of an art over years of change, contrasting the original Japanese form of the art against sport that we now see being practiced. For the warriors who practiced the art centuries ago, the combatant aspect was only one part of their art; for them, the martial art was an entire lifestyle. Today, martial arts often are seen as extracurricular activities that do not necessarily flow into other parts of an individual’s life. Japan’s Westernization forever changed the practice of martial arts. This area studies was able to highlight how one event in the history of a country is able forever to change its traditions.